Melbourne woman dead after bus crash in Cambodia

By Ben Millar

June 24, 2018 — 11.23am

Laura Knight

A Melbourne aid worker is among four people who have been killed in a mini-bus crash in Cambodia.

Laura Knight, who had been working with Save the Children Cambodia after arriving in the country in 2015, was travelling in the southwest Takeo province with 12 other Save the Children workers on Friday when the mini-van left the road and hit a mango tree.

The accident claimed the lives of three other people and left another seven people injured.

Save the Children global chief executive Helle Thorning Schmidt confirmed that four staff members lost their lives in the accident and a further four remain in hospital in the Intensive Care Unit.

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“This is a truly heart-breaking event and our condolences go out to the families of the deceased and injured,” she said.

“Our primary concern is for the families, and we are providing support to help them through this incredibly difficult time.

“We are also supporting our staff, many of whom have been devastated by this tragic and sudden loss.”

According to the Khmer Times, the mini-bus swerved and hit a mango tree, coming to rest in a roadside ditch.

Knight was a graduate of RMIT and spent a number of years on the boards of Volunteer West and the Wilderness Society.

She had previously written in her blog 'A Night in Cambodia' about how “scary” she had found travelling on Cambodian roads.

“One of the biggest challenges I have found living in Cambodia is the traffic, which is crazy,” Knight wrote.

“It is not unusual to see a motorbike with more than three people, not wearing helmets, riding the wrong way up the street, whilst the driver is talking on a mobile phone.

“Part of the problem is that it is really easy to get a driver’s license here and there are no tests. So there is very little education about how to drive and the road rules - what they are and why they are important.”

Vuthy Sokanha, a colleague of Knight’s during her time at Friends-International, paid tribute to the aid worker on Facebook.

“You were one of the greatest assets that Friends-International and Save the Children in Cambodia had all over the years,” she posted.

“We are so thankful for what you have done for Cambodian children. Our thoughts are with you are your families.”

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman confirmed that DFAT is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian woman who has died in Cambodia.